Update: The webinar series from Altair has now finished but the recordings have been made available for those that missed the live event. Readers wanting to take learn more about composite design for the automotive industry are invited to take a look at the sessions via the Altair HyperWorks website.

Lehigh University in Pennslvania in the US has developed a unique carbon fiber wing made in a single molding process, complete with wing planks, spar caps, six internal webs to carry shear loads and a trailing edge ready to accommodate wing flaps and ailerons. The 6.5 m (21.3 ft) wing is made for an unmanned aircraft designed to fly at high altitude and be powered by jetstreams. The long-term goal of the project, led by Lehigh engineer Joachim Grenestedt and computer scientist John Spletzer, is perpetual flight.

Plastics Today have announced that the chief engineer of body and interior design at Honda R&D Americas and the head of polymer engineering at the Fraunhofer ICT will headline the upcoming Lightweighting AutoPlastics 2012 Conference to be held in Troy, Michigan. Honda’s Lawrence Geise and Fraunhofer’s Frank Henning will address how the North American industry will manage the challenge of complying to Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, which will be pushed 54.5 MPG.

Honeywell, a leader in advanced materials and process technologies, has announced that its lightweight Spectra Shield ballistic material will be used to improve armor protection on U.S. Army helicopters. The Protective Group, Inc. (TPG), a leading developer and integrator of lightweight composite armor for military aircraft, is incorporating Spectra Shield material into armor upgrades for U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

General Motors is testing an industry-first thermal-forming process and proprietary corrosion resistance treatment for lightweight magnesium sheet metal that will allow increased use of the high-strength metal as a lightweight alternative to steel and aluminum.

TenCate Advanced Composites and BASF have entered into a strategic alliance to cooperate on the development, production and commercialization of thermoplastic composite materials suitable for high-volume vehicle production.

In an interview with Drive, Frank Stephenson, Chief Designer for McLaren Automotive, discusses the development of the 12C Spider. During the 20 minute session, Frank talks about the challenge of keeping the weight of the vehicle to a minimum, describing weight as ‘the enemy’.